Search “best pellet grill” and Traeger, Pit Boss, and Recteq crowd the results — Memphis Wood Fire Grills barely registers despite being a fixture in custom outdoor kitchens and competition circles. Here’s what the Elevate, Pro, and Elite actually cost, what IntelliBurn does differently, and whether the jump from a mainstream grill is worth it.
Quick Answer
Memphis Wood Fire Grills builds its Pro ($4,499) and Elite ($5,499) models from 304 stainless steel in a double-wall design, with a patented IntelliBurn secondary combustion system that reburns exhaust smoke for cleaner output and steadier heat, per Memphis’s own specs. The entry-level Elevate ($1,999) drops to 430 stainless and skips IntelliBurn to hit a lower price point. All three ship in both freestanding-cart and built-in configurations, which is why Memphis shows up so often in custom outdoor-kitchen installs. The catch is price: even the base Elevate costs more than most Traeger or Pit Boss flagships, and the Elite runs 5-6x what a mainstream pellet grill costs — so Memphis fits frequent, serious cooks and outdoor-kitchen builds more than casual weekend use.
Memphis lineup at a glance
| Model | Cook space | Steel | Combustion | Hopper | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevate | 578 sq in | 430 stainless, double-wall | Single-fan, standard | 12 lb | $1,999 (built-in) |
| Pro ITC3 | 574 sq in | 304 stainless, double-wall | Dual-fan, IntelliBurn | 18 lb dual-bin | $4,499 (built-in) |
| Elite ITC3 | 862-1,275 sq in | 304 stainless, double-wall | Dual-fan, IntelliBurn | 24 lb dual-bin | $5,499 (built-in) |
What Memphis gets right
Memphis Elite ITC3
- 304 stainless steel double-wall construction holds temperature more steadily through wind and cold weather than the thinner single-wall bodies common on mainstream pellet grills.
- Patented IntelliBurn secondary combustion reburns exhaust smoke inside the firebox, which Memphis says cuts creosote buildup and keeps temperatures more consistent than a standard single-burn auger system.
- 180-700°F range with three levels of direct-flame access gives the Elite real searing capability, not just low-and-slow — a gap on most consumer pellet grills capped near 500-600°F.
- Ships in both freestanding-cart and built-in configurations, so it drops directly into a custom outdoor-kitchen island without an aftermarket surround, per Memphis's product line.
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IntelliBurn is the real differentiator here. Most pellet grills — including well-built ones from Traeger and Yoder — rely on a single burn cycle where the auger feeds pellets into one combustion zone. Memphis’s system reburns the resulting smoke a second time inside the firebox before it exits, which the company says produces cleaner exhaust and fewer temperature swings from incomplete combustion. That’s the specific technical claim that separates Memphis from Yoder’s thicker-steel-but-simpler-combustion approach, and it’s why competition teams and outdoor-kitchen installers who’ve used both often frame the choice as “steel thickness vs. combustion tech” rather than one brand being flatly better.
Where it falls short
Price is the obvious ceiling — a Memphis Pro starts at $4,499, nearly double a comparable Yoder YS480s, and the Elite’s $5,499+ starting point puts it well outside what most backyard cooks will spend on a grill. The Elevate closes some of that gap at $1,999, but drops to 430 stainless and loses IntelliBurn entirely, so you’re not getting Memphis’s signature technology at the entry price point. Memphis also has a smaller dealer and service network than Traeger or Pit Boss, which matters if a controller or auger ever needs warranty service. And the standard cook space on the Pro (574 sq in) and base Elite (862 sq in) isn’t dramatically larger than a $900 Traeger Woodridge’s 860 sq in — the extra money on the Pro specifically buys combustion tech and steel grade, not more room.
Memphis vs. the field
| Grill | Cook space | Steel | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Elite | 862-1,275 sq in | 304 stainless, double-wall | $5,499 | Outdoor kitchens, IntelliBurn combustion |
| Yoder YS640s | 640-1,070 sq in | 10-gauge carbon steel | $2,699 | Heaviest steel gauge, lower price |
| Recteq RT-700 "Bull" | 702 sq in | Heavy-gauge (unspecified) | $1,199 | Value heavy-build alternative |
| Traeger Woodridge | 860 sq in | Standard consumer-gauge | $899 | Longest warranty, lowest entry price |
For a heavy-build alternative at roughly half Memphis’s price, this site’s Yoder Smokers review covers the closest premium competitor — thicker carbon steel instead of Memphis’s stainless-plus-IntelliBurn approach. If an outdoor kitchen isn’t in the plan, the Recteq RT-700 review and the best pellet grill for the money guide both cover where mainstream-priced grills still deliver strong results.
Who should buy a Memphis
- Buy the Elite if: you’re building or retrofitting an outdoor kitchen, want built-in searing capability up to 700°F, and cook often enough to justify the largest hopper in the lineup.
- Buy the Pro instead if: you want Memphis’s IntelliBurn combustion and 304 stainless build but don’t need the Elite’s larger cook space.
- Consider the Yoder YS640s instead if: you want premium steel construction at roughly half Memphis’s price and don’t need IntelliBurn or a built-in option.
- Skip it if: you cook occasionally on weekends — a $900-$1,200 Traeger or Recteq will deliver similar results for most home cooks without the premium price.
The verdict
Memphis earns its reputation in a specific niche: outdoor-kitchen builds and serious, frequent cooks who want stainless construction, real searing heat, and a combustion system engineered to reduce temperature swings rather than just thicker metal. It’s not the right choice for someone firing up a pellet grill twice a month — for that buyer, our best pellet grill guide points to far better value. But for anyone treating a pellet grill as a permanent outdoor-kitchen appliance, the Pro and Elite are built for exactly that job.
Last updated: August 27, 2026 — re-verified pricing and specs directly against memphisgrills.com: Elevate confirmed at $1,999 built-in / $2,378 cart, 578 sq in, 430 stainless, 12 lb hopper; Elite confirmed at $5,499, 862-1,275 sq in, 304 stainless, 24 lb hopper. One correction: the Pro’s standard cook space is 574 sq in (848 sq in with the optional grate kit), not the 568 sq in previously listed — price ($4,499 built-in / $4,999 cart), steel, and hopper size unchanged.